Hi @PDXXXX! Maybe grab yourself a drink and snack, I'm going to be a bit wordy in my reply. 😬😅 I've added some headings/captions to make it easier to pick and choose what you want to read about.
As @danielledanielle (thank you for the tag!) mentioned, I have gotten samples in store for this foundation. I've sampled 6 (light with neutral undertones), 8 (light with golden undertones) and 10 (light with neutral undertones). 10 was the shade I thought I would match to when I read the online shade descriptions and when I first saw the foundation in store. The Sephora sales associate pulled 6 when she first looked at my skin tone and 8. At the time I tested this foundation (right around the time it launched), none of the shades / undertones worked for me, but I suspect that may have to do with it being summer/end of summer - right now, I have a smidge more color than I typically would during the year. I do think the shade 10 could work for me later in the year, most likely the winter through spring months.
I found the shade 10 to be more neutral-leaning-pink/rosy, so right now and in the fall, I can see myself making it work if I mixed it with a neutral bronzing serum or neutral-gold/warm leaning bronzing serum. I know this isn't always possible, but if your local Sephora store carries this foundation, going in to swatch the shade(s) for yourself and asking for a sample is the best way to go. Again, I know that's not always possible.
Skin Details:
- Skin Type: Normal-to-dry, mature skin, with occasional oiliness on my lower T-zone (nose, chin and occasionally, jawline)
- Skin Concerns: Dehydration; extra dryness on the skin covering the nasal bone (between inner corner of the eyes); occasional redness/rosacea flare up on cheeks and around corners of the nose. I also have sun spots and a couple of PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) darker spots that are still in the process of healing - I'm a slow healer when it comes to PIH spots.
Consistency: Between a serum and gel-cream - there's a certain viscosity / density to it that gives it some weight without it feeling heavy or lightweight, if that makes sense. It's runny without being watery.
Shade range / Color description: I like that there is a range of undertones - rosy, golden, neutral, peachy, olive. The shade descriptions are, at least in my experience, slightly off. I generally fall under the light or light-medium shade range. Neutral undertones generally work best for me, though in some instances, neutral-to-warm/golden works better depending on the particular foundation. The shade descriptions are generally on point, but I would say that I found the neutral shades to lean more pink/rosy and the peach shades were very peachy, some almost having a coral-orange tinge to them, if that makes sense.
Application: I went through a few approaches for testing the foundation - applying it with (1) fingers, (2) brush, (3) beauty blender, and also with and without primer and/or a setting product of some sort, be it a powder or setting spray. My personal preference is to apply it with a foundation brush and then go over it with a beautyblender or beauty sponge. Heaviest coverage was when I used my fingers, but it felt like it sat on top of my skin and I would find myself reaching for my beauty sponge to press and blend the product more and give me a more light-to-medium coverage.
Coverage: Buildable (to a solid medium coverage). If I used a beauty sponge, 2-3 layers would do a pretty good job of concealing redness and dark spots; I would still need to go in with concealer around the corner of my nose if my redness was more intense or if I didn't use something like the Dr. Jart Cicapair as a primer in those areas.
With my preferred application method of foundation brush + beauty sponge, I would get light / light-medium coverage, and reach for concealer to cover up a couple of darker spots if their peeking through bothered me on a given day.
Finish: Depending on my application method, I could get a "oh, that's quite a glow" to a more luminous, dewy finish. In that regard, it is better suited for those with normal, normal-to-dry, or dry skin. Combination skin-types may like this as well but the oiliest parts of a person's face may not be a fan of the shine. For all skin types, I recommend a setting product of some sort, depending on preference and the amount of sought-after glow (see below).
Performance: This wore pretty well for most of the day - I was able to get anywhere from 8-10 hours with it, depending on how active I was during the day. The "glow" did start to wind down on me around hour 7-ish, if I was doing any running around (and by running, I mean errands or spending more time walking outside). If I'm just sitting in front of my computer all day, the foundation and the glow will, of course, stick around longer.
I did get some blurring effects on my cheeks, some on the nose, but that's where the foundation (any foundation) first begins to break up / wear down on me. For better or worse, my wrinkles are more concentrated around my eyes - lower eyelids near lash line and outer corners of my eyes - and I don't typically bring my foundation to those areas, so I can't really speak to how well this foundation blurs the appearance of wrinkles.
This product needs to be set with something, be it a setting spray or setting powder, both for controlling the degree of glow you get from this product as well as keeping it from transferring, but it does transfer. To be fair, this does not claim to be a self-setting product or transfer-proof, but it transferred onto clothing far more easily than other foundations I've used. This is easily addressed with either a setting spray or setting powder. I preferred a setting spray to keep the glow from the foundation but went with a spray that, on its own, provided a more satin or mattifying finish. A setting spray that promises luminosity is just going to make your complexion look really very shiny on top of an already glow-giving foundation like this one.
Would I recommend?: Yes, for those with normal, normal-to-dry, or dry skin types, with a strong reminder and recommendation to set this foundation. I'm interested in seeing if the shade 10 will work better on me when winter comes around and may try to pick up a sample again at that time.
Hopefully, I covered what you wanted to know about the foundation. If I missed anything or you have questions about my experience with it, please do not hesitate to ask.